Ivalicians Past and Present in Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story contains a cadre of characters, but has only one playable character, Ashley Riot. Below is a list of the characters seen on screen during the course of the game, and those who are mentioned in dialogue On-Screen Character List By last name with the exception of Ashley Riot, placed first for obvious reasons Ashley Riot The protagonist and sole player character, Ashley is a member of the Valendia Knights of the Peace, on a mission from them to pursue a 'cult' leader named Sydney Losstarot. He has a crisis of conscience when an innocent family is killed during the course of a VKP mission. The identity of the family, whether they were the target of the mission or merely unfortunate witnesses, and many other details of the incident, are lost in a maze of VKP brainwashing, lost memories, and Sydney's powers of manipulation. Ashley becomes distraught by the killings, feeling that he has betrayed the very people he had sworn to protect. His partner Rosencrantz has none of Ashley's scruples, and helps the VKP implant false memories to allow Ashley to remain a perfect killing machine.Vagrant Story part 12(of 21) BrainwashingRosencrantz "If only your sense of justice was not so keen. The VKP was not about to lose one of their best without a fight" Video 5:43 Tia and Marco Tia and Marco are seen only in flashbacks; Ashley's visions and memories that come unbidden or are instigated by Sydney. In most of them, they are murdered, but the identity of the murderer and their relationship to Ashley is variously portrayed, leaving them mysterious figures whose true identity and even true fate is never revealed and about whom much speculation in the fan community revolves. Duke Aldous Byron Bardorba 's life and works are inextricably linked to the tale of the Vagrant]] A hero of the Valendian Civil war and now an influential political figure. Duke Aldous Byron Bardorba (アルドゥス・バイロン・バルドルバ, Arudusu Bairon Barudoruba) is a character from Vagrant Story. Though he appears in only a handful of scenes, the Duke's influence controls much of the game's events. Long retired from fighting in battles, the aging war hero yet retains an unrelenting grip on the affairs of Parliament. He is married and is the father of his cherished child, whom he calls "his soul", Joshua. There is another side to this public figure that only he and the son he brought up in secret years before know about. Bardorba is a descendent of the Müllenkamp bloodline,PSX Longplay [147 Vagrant Story (Part 2 of 4)] 2:24:00. "To inherit the city, you must have the "key". Only the bearer of the key can receive the power of the Gran Grimoire. The key-bearer, the Duke, will soon die. If he dies without a successor, all is lost. The Duke thinks he can cut off the accursed Müllenkamp bloodline, but that must not be allowed to happen." and bears the Blood-Sin, that gives him sway over the Dark. More importantly, it makes him a living key to the power of the former stronghold of Müllenkamp magic, Leá Monde, even though it has been perverted into a Wellspring of the Dark by Parliament, the VKP, and the leaders of the once-magic-fearing Iocus religion. His first son, Sydney, is given the Blood-Sin to keep him from dying from a childhood illness. The Blood-Sin itself now endangers Sydney, however, with its promise of power to those who crave the power of magic, and its mark of Sin to those who still believe magic to be evil, both. To keep him safe, his identity is concealed. Yet for all this, he is willing to be shockingly cruel to complete his goal. When Sydney attacks his father's Manor in the Graylands, the Duke, perhaps with prior knowledge of the attack, is far off in his secondary residence. Upon hearing of the event, he orders his men to burn down the house, with his entire family inside, just to hide Sydney's powers. Sydney must be allowed to complete his mission to end the curse of Leá Monde by finding a worthy heir to the Blood-Sin. He gives a second order to his shocked courtiers: that his son Joshua is not to be harmed under any circumstance. The Duke is said to have been found to have financed the Müllenkamp cult, but he turns against it, fearing that the Iocans are correct and his part in the Dark of Leá Monde is a burden his soul cannot bear. After the battle between Müllenkamp and the Order of the Crimson Blades in Leá Monde, nearly all of the greedy men who desired the power of the Dark are defeated. Sydney passes off the Blood-sin to Ashley Riot, who does not desire its power. Appearing to his father in the guise of Ashley, Sydney tells him that their mission is complete. Taking a dagger, the Duke kills Sydney, and through their connected souls, the Duke dies along with him in a double-suicide. Before his death, the Duke regrets being a poor father to Sydney and bringing such a burden onto his child. Joshua survives the events of Vagrant Story unharmed as per the Duke's wishes. "Aldous" and "Byron" are names of the mystic writer Aldous Huxley and the Romantic poet George Gordon Byron respectively. Bejart and Sarjik Two Blades footsoldiers who accompany Duane into the Town Center, where all three are slain by Ashley as Guildenstern, on the other side of the impassable rushing river gorge in the center of town, can only watch. Cardinal Batistum Cardinal Batistum is a powerful figure in the religion of Valendia after Iocus and his purge of the Kiltian religion. His fighting force, the Crimson Blades, feature prominently in the combat aspect of the game, and to a lesser extent in its storyline also, where the Cardinal does not appear in the game at all, but the influence of his actions reach far into the events in Leá Monde. The Crimson Blades appear to deserve their freedom from the restrictions of politics, by virtue of not being involved in it. However, although the power of centuries of pious witchhunting in the name of Iocus may once have served his cause, to eliminate magic from the world by demonizing it as The Dark, those who wield this power of the religion in the current times are no less than hypocrites and deceivers as regards the Dark. They do not dabble in it, they wallow in it, and even create it. The blood on their hands is no less than the entire population of Leá Monde. The city suffered a catastrophe when the population was killed in an earthquake.Narrator: "At its height, Leá Monde was a thriving community more than 5,000 people strong. Twenty-five years ago, a great earthquake brought that chapter in Leá Monde's history to a close." Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One The city, filled with corpses controlled by Darkness, is wellspring of the Dark created to enhance the powers of magic. Rosencrantz: 7:03 "The VKP and Parliament know...have known about the Dark powers and the dead that walk." Video 7:53 "You know that Leá Monde is a Wellspring..." 8:13 "To wit, there is no power without the Dark". 8:23 "Thus Parliament raised a paling around the cities of man and set the Dark out to pasture." 8:40 "All that was needed is fodder, and They would come to feed." Ashley: "Fodder? No!" Rosencrantz: "Yes. The great quake 25 years past stocked the city's larders with corpses." The Neo-Iocans' involvement in the creation of the Wellspring is covert, following always behind the political powers of the VKP and Parliament, but inevitably seen in their control of the DarkVagrant Story part 8(of 21) Gran GrimoireHardin: "How can they control our servants? How!?" Sydney: "Not all of them can. Only a few." Video 3:10Vagrant Story part 10(of 21) GrissomRosencrantz: "But be wary, your foe is strong." Grissom: "God is stronger." "Rosencrantz: "The Dark is stronger, you mean."Vagrant Story part 15(of 21) The KeyYTV15 Much of the scene is proof, from 6:20 to 9:01. Guildenstern: "You think the Dark flows only within your city? You underestimate the Cardinal!!" and and their participation in the current events in Leá Monde,Sydney: "The Cardinal has prepared long for this. 20 years watching...waiting" and especially the despicable acts of the villain Guildenstern. Parliament and the VKP have sown the seeds; the Cardinal has brought his forces to reap the harvest. Crimson Blades The weapon of the Iocus religion, under direct orders of Cardinal Batistum, a group that is part of the Cardinal's Knights of the Cross, in charge of 'rooting out Heresy, punishing heretics and quelling cults.Ashley: "Are cults not the Templars' concern?" Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One The Blades are the only human foes that Ashley fights that use the Dark, the magic that their religion has banned. They range in combat skill and experience from an elite force to self-trained mercenaries ("mere sellswords"). There is at least one literary precedent, from the Bible no less, that tells of religious crusaders against magic who nonetheless use its power: the story of Saul and the Witch of Endor Father Duane A captain of the Crimson Blades, and one of the first to fall. His death by the hands of Ashley Riot causes his brother, Father Grissom, to be driven by revenge for most of the game. Faendos and Lamkin Two grunt Blades who accompany Grissom into the Snowfly Forest. They both disappear after one of the intermittent earthquakes that run through Leá Monde as regularly as breathing, and are never seen alive again. Deeper in the forest, Ashley meets two Zombie Knights, presumably Faendos and Lamkin. Goodwin and Sackheim Two talkative Blades footsoldiers trapped in the Wine Cellar. They unwittingly teach Ashley of the power of Cloudstones and Grimoires. As they search for a way out they are stalked and eventually killed by Ashley. Father Grissom Commander Grissom is the brother of Father Duane, and similarly a cleric and participant in the take-over of Leá Monde. A comely youth, he has none of his elder brother's harsh tone or vicious manner, remaining coolly polite even to his enemies. Yet hidden behind the elegant niceties lies a needle sharp mind and an ice cold heart. Of all the Crimson Blades involved, Grissom perhaps has the greatest faith of them all -- in God and himself. He has decided that it is his personal mission to "purify" the Dark. As for overall power, Grissom outstrips his elder brother by a considerable margin. After his brother's death, he becomes a man desperate for revenge. He is willing to go so far as to sacrifice his own life to aid his personal cause or the cause of the Crimson Blades. Romeo Guildenstern Commander of the Crimson Blades, the knightly order of the Iocus priesthood. He has come to Leá Monde to hunt Sydney down. His mission was undertaken without the approval of the VKP.VKP Officer: "Furthermore, we must find out why the Cardinal sent his blades to deal with this incident without our approval." Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One Romeo Guildenstern, their leader, seems at first a pious man, deeply faithful to his belief and consequently immune to the Dark's powers. Under orders of the Cardinal, he pursues Sydney with a small army in his command and his captains: Samantha, Duane, Grissom, Tieger and Neesa.Vagrant Story part 7(of 21) Incomplete deathGuildenstern: "Grissom, gather our remaining men. Join with Tieger's knights, and crush Müllenkamp. Go!" / Grissom: "By your command." Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One Video 3:22 Guildenstern is the leader of the Crimson Blades, and is using the organization to obtain immortality for himself, and as he claims, for his lover, Lady Samantha He is a very powerful force in the power of the Dark, and his power is about equal if stronger than Sydney's. Guildenstern does not care for the number of men he will have to lose to obtain his ambition, and so his force is almost entirely wiped out. If Guildenstern's plan to cleanse the world with the power of the Dark and the means by which he begins the ritual to obtain this power is not in itself a proof of his character, clues abound in his behaviour before this is revealed, such as backhanding his "love" Samantha hard enough to draw blood to rid himself of the annoyance of the Riskbreaker's clairvoyant presence. John Hardin Sydney's second in command; a tireless, faithful servant. He aids Sydney in leading Mullenkamp, setting up the Sigils and summoning monsters to block the pursuit of the Crimson Blades. Hardin comes to doubt Sydney's intentions, and Sydney uses his powers of compulsion to rein in those doubts. on the situation at Bardorba Manor, dispatches him there]] Inquisitor Heldricht One of the Head Inquisitors of the VKP. Her pageboy cut blonde hair, chiselled face and thin cigars held between her fingers as she waves dismissively give her something of an air of terseness and directness. Inquisitor Heldricht supervises the activities of Inquisitors and assigns them to any mission as according to the wishes of LeSait. Knights of the Cross Cardinal Batistum's umbrella organization, that encompasses the Crimson Blades and other organizations. Steward LeSait Commander of the Valendian Knights of the Peace. He is seen in the opening video, where he presides over a meeting of the VKP. A sullen man with slick, combed-back gray hair, LeSait leads the VKP, following the Valendia Parliament's wishes. He carries a calm demeanor, though it could be because the Parliament is always breathing on his neck all the time. Sydney Losstarot Slight and graceful of build and features, inheritor of the bloodline of the Priestess Müllenkamp, leader of the revival of her religion and its political and military forces. To counter the threat that it poses to their rule, Müllenkamp has been branded a cult by Parliament. Years before the birth of Joshua, the Duke had a first son, Sydney Losstarot. After some kind of near-fatal incident, Sydney was on the verge of death. To save the child's life, the Duke passed on his Blood-Sin tattoo to Sydney, thus giving him great power over the Dark and its greatest locus, the city of Leá Monde. With this, their souls were also interconnected. If Sydney were to die, the Duke would go with him. In order to repay his father, Sydney vows to dedicate his life to ending the curse that the Blood-Sin and Leá Monde have become. To that end, he founds the cult of Müllenkamp, with the Duke's funding and protection. Once he can recruit someone free from the ambition that would tempt them to misuse the Dark, then the city's power can be broken. At the start of Vagrant Story, Sydney attacks his father's home in the Graylands. His Müllenkamp forces are told that they search for a key, but there is another, true, reason which is two-fold. The attack was a diversion, on home ground, to force attrition and dispersal of the Crimson Blade's forces, as is shown in Sydney's comforting words to Hardin, telling him that the worst is over: "The soldiers last night were trained elites; these latecomers are mere sellswords";Vagrant Story part 8(of 21) Gran Grimoire Video 2:24. And secondly, although Hardin is not privy to the deepest aspects of Sidney's plans, Hardin at least believes that the Duke had turned against Mullenkamp. Hardin thinks that he is seeking to destroy Leá Monde to atone for his use of its power. "The Duke is mortally ill...He fears he will pay for this life's sins in the next"-PSX Longplay [147 Vagrant Story (Part 2 of 4)] 2:23:29 To dissuade the Duke from acting to destroy the city before his plans can come to fruition, Sydney also kidnaps Bardorba's son, Joshua. Mandel A member of the Crimson Blades. Ashley kills him in order to pass; when he dies, the power of the Dark to animate corpses sets him once again in battle against Ashley as one of the Undead. Callo Merlose Ashley's partner in the Leá Monde incident is Callo Merlose, an agent of the VKP Inquisitors. Although Callo accompanies him, Ashley does not accept her as a combat partner due to her lack of combat experience.Ashley: "n agent with no combat experience would just be a liability". Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One Callo ends up being Sydney's hostage and discovers the truth of Müllenkamp's activities. She spends most of the game as a captive, trying to discern Sydney's true motives. The Dark flows through her as it does through Ashley, enhancing her ability to do this. Rosencrantz explains the difference between the Heart-Seer Merlose and others who have a lesser power: "All people are tuned to a certain 'rhythm'; some can find a like rhythm and jump on board...True Seers can join one regardless of their rhythm"PSX Longplay [147 Vagrant Story (Part 1 of 4)] 3:53:32 While this explains the means by which Merlose can find the answers in her investigations, it misses the quality of insight which she displays. Knowing which questions to ask is also her power, albeit not a supernatural one. Lady Neesa A loyal knight of the Crimson Blades and close associate of Sir Tieger. Neesa is a hardened warrior, paying less heed to the things that rattle Lady Samantha, like the hordes of undead and the high casualty rate. Riskbreaker See also VKP The Riskbreakers are a militant division of the VKP responsible for upholding state security and law, above other considerations.Rosencrantz: We were always the champions of justice, true, but a justice that served the state alone. Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One Jan Rosencrantz Red clad swashbuckler, Rosecrantz is an immoral mercenary whose immunity to the DarkVagrant Story part 11(of 21) The Wellspring Rosencrantz: "Your memory fails you. The Dark holds no power over me." and lack of allegiance to any side make him too formidable an opponent to eliminate lightly and too valuable to give more than light cause to eliminate. He glides from one faction to another, dispensing information about all to all. He was a Riskbreaker until Ashley's crisis of conscience, and knows more about the Dark than anyone save Sydney. He claims that he was kicked out of the Riskbreakers for knowing too much about Leá Monde. Another claim seems certain: he manipulates all the powers for his own gain. Rosencrantz attempted to play on Ashley's memory loss, feigning membership in the VKP. He appears during Ashley's battles in Leá Monde, briefing him on the plans of the VKP, Sydney and the Cardinal, and subsequently his take on Ashley's past. This casts suspicion on Ashley's behalf, as Riskbreakers always work alone. Rosencrantz is the other half of the reference to the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Valendia Knights of the Peace (VKP) See also Riskbreakers Headquartered in Valendia's capital city of Valnain. Valendia's time of expansion in its region of Ivalice was achieved by an army of assassins called the Valendia Knights of the Peace. Now that more peaceful and democratic times prevail,Rosencrantz: "We live in peaceful, boring times. There is no rank to be had in killing on the fields of war." the VKP has become ostensibly more wary of, if not somewhat subservient to, political factions within Valendia, in much the same way as its Knightsguard branch has been. An unnamed, elderly and bejowled figure at the VKP meeting with Ashley, Inquisitor Heldricht, and Steward LeSait gives a representation of the more conservative elements within the VKP. Striking his fist on the table, he rails at the need of the VKP to have to restrain their activities because of "This religious freedom!" Lady Samantha draws Samantha's blood without hesitation at the merest hint of Ashley's connection to her]] Romeo's lover and faithful companion for most of the game. She has faith in her leader, and is the only one who shows any worry for the large loss of troops. She and Ashley each, at times, see through each other's eyes in visions given them by the encroaching powers of the Dark; Rosencrantz tells Ashley that similarly attuned people are the most likely to be able to 'hop on board' and attune themselves to another's senses. Sir Tieger A knight of the Crimson Blades, he is shown only with Lady Neesa. Tieger gives up his life so that she may live to tell to tale of what had happened in Leá Monde. Offscreen Characters Cardinal Batistum See Crimson Blades Knights of the Cross Order under control of Cardinal Batistum Müllenkamp Müllenkamp has two meanings in Ivalician history. It is the name of the Kiltean dancer-priestess who broke from the established religion to establish a new one in Leá Monde. And it is the name of the religious revival and grassroots political group that Sydney Losstarot leads, whose sanctuary is within Leá Monde itself.Rosencrantz: "However, Leá Monde has strong ties to the Dark, for this is the Dark city of the ancient Kildean priestess Müllenkamp." Vagrant Story, Square, 2000, Playstation One Video 9, 8:24Vagrant Story part 9(of 21) Rosencrantz A dancer, ostensibly the priestess Müllenkamp, is the first thing the player sees when starting the game, but she is not seen in game at all. Similarly, soldiers of the modern Müllenkamp faction are seen in the starting area, but not thereafter, unless you count Sydney and Hardin themselves. Parliament The greatest villains of all Valendia are never seen, only spoken of. All that the Crimson Blades and their leaders have done, their mass murder and hypocrisy, their subterfuge and betrayal, can also be laid at the door of the Valendia National Council, and much, much more. The actions of the Valendia Knights of the Peace, as well, were on their directive, with their acceptance, or what they would have done. St. Iocus Like many reformers whose teachings are taken as the banner of a bloody reformation, Iocus' role in the events that swept around him are occulted by the powerful forces that he set in motion. All that is known for certain is that Iocus, like Mullenkamp before him, began preaching a new faith. Within years, Mullenkamp's followers were exterminated, their cities razed to the ground or occupied, and their religion extinguished or demonized. Links * Samantha's Revenge character hack on YouTube Citations See Also * Ivalice * Connections and Similarities between Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Category:Guides Category:Non-Gameplay Category:Storytelling